Keep traffic lights on Broad

Stroudsburg Borough officials should petition state transportation officials immediately to retain the traffic light at the Broad Street ramps to Interstate 80.

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poconorecord.com

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Posted Dec. 11, 2012 at 12:01 AM

Posted Dec. 11, 2012 at 12:01 AM

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Stroudsburg Borough officials should petition state transportation officials immediately to retain the traffic light at the Broad Street ramps to Interstate 80.

Motorist and pedestrian safety is at stake.

The signal lights went up in 2010 when construction on the block-away Seventh Street Bridge began, detouring all traffic to and from "south" Stroudsburg onto Broad Street. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation officials deemed the increased volume of traffic on Broad Street to warrant the light.

Now PennDOT may reopen the Seventh Street bridge as early as Friday, and officials plan to take down the lights both at the interstate ramps and where Broad Street intersects Route 611.

Think again. Turning left, uphill, from the uphill off-ramp from I-80 without the light was always dangerous. For pedestrians, crossing the nearly 100-foot expanse of the on-ramp on the other side of Broad was little less than a suicide mission. A pedestrian button gives walkers the chance to turn all lights red and cross safely during this brief interval. And the light at Route 611 serves as an important traffic-calming device at an intersection where before motorists often took risks at the four-way stop.

PennDOT says the lights were never meant to be permanent. That may be. But with safety as a consideration, keeping them makes sense.

Borough officials also will decide whether to change Bryant, Lenox and Robeson streets and Clermont Avenue back to two-way streets. They have been westbound-only during the bridge construction; residents who are most affected should air their views during a Dec. 19 council meeting. If officials opt to reverse the temporary directions they will have to advertise and adopt an ordinance.

But they must not wait that long to save the traffic lights. Motorists and pedestrians alike should encourage their elected and transit officials to do the right thing by supporting road safety.